Submarine-cable-laying device.



PATENTED AUG. 25,1903 .I B. ROBERTS. SUBMARINE CABLE .SAYING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1992. RENEWLD JULY 16, 19031 z SHEETS-SHEET 1 NQ MODEL.

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No. 737,021. y lPMENTED AUG. 25.1903.

l E. EOEEETS.v SUEMAEINE CABLE LAYING DEVICE.

APPLICATIOK FILED MAY 29, 1902. RENEWBD JULY 16, 1903.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.A

NO MODEL.

@Miou/lujo `ivrrnn ermite Patented August 25, 1903.

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susMAmNE-oAsLE-Lmmc o'svics.

sPEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters 'Patent-No. 737,021, dated August 25, 1903. i u 'A Application led Muy 29, 1902. Renewed July 16. 1903 Serial No; 165,874. (No model.)

To all whom it nit/ty concern:

Beit known that I, BEAUREGARD ROBERTS,

" a citizenof the United States, residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of i Alabama, have invented certain new and use*Q submarine cables. .v

ful improvements in' Submarine-Oable-Laying Devices; and I do. declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others Skilled in 'the arttowhich itappertains to inake'and use the same.

` rlhe invention relates to devices for laying ,The object oftll'? invention is to provide a device. for this purpose in the form of a rotary plowor saw bywhich a trench or furrow may be 'made i111 vllh'eioottomof a body of water ofany desired depth and in whidh a cable is adapted to, be laid. I

A furtherl object is to provide a device f wherebythe rotary digging apparatus may be adapted to, be interchangeable with a cablecutting apparatus for finding and seveifing a cable. l

With the above and other objects in view, 'the nature of which will be apparent as the invention is better understood, said invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter 'more fully described andclainied, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device in use, parts being broken away for illustration. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the digging devices. Fig. 3 is u vertical cross-section of the same on the line of Fig. 1. lFig. lis a side view showing the device when used for cutting cables.

1n the drawings, 1 denotes a steamboat or 4barge foicarrying the operating apparatus.

. connected thereto.

lthis pipe or .adjacent to a reel l5, on which the cable 1G ings I have shown them in the shape of saw- -teetli and cast integral with the disks.

5 denotes a sprocket-wheel fixed lto one end of the shaft 3 and connected by a sprocket chain G'to a sprocket-wheel 7, iixed to a shaft 8,journaled in bearings on. standards 9,niount ed on lthe stern end of the boat. M 10 denotes a seiniciicularshaped casing adapted to be supported by the shaft 3, and 12 denotes shoes or runners projecting for- Wardly. and rearwardly v These shoes are adapted to rest on and slide along the surface of the bottom of the body of water and support the digging apparatus at the proper position and prevent the saine from digging too deep.

1 3 denotes a bail or link connected at its lower ends-tothe shaft 3 and is provided at its upper end with a pulley-block, through which is rove a hoisting rope or cable running to a suitable crane orderrick mounted upon the boat.

of the casing 10 and 1d denotes a pipe or conduit which may be made in telescoping sections orshortened as desired. The upper end of conduit is connected to the boat iswound. The other end of the pipe'extends downwardly to a position between or alongside the rotary disks e. rlhe cable 16 is adapted to run through this pipe or conduit and be 'guided and protected thereby and to be delivered into the bottoni of the trench out by the rotary plows.

In Fig. e of the drawings I have shown a disk- 17 in the form of a fine-toothed circular saw. This disk is adapted to be interchangeable with the digging-disks, so that should it be desired to use the device for cutting cables the rotary plow-disks are removed and the tine saw placed in position, when the apparatus will be in readiness for sawing or cut ting cables when dragged along by the boat.

Any suitable means inay be employed for imparting' motion to the rotary plows and cutting devices through the medium of the sprocket 'gearing hereinbefore described. That shown in the drawingsconsists in providing the shaft 8 with a band pulley 18, arund which passes a belt from the drivewheel of an engine. (Not shown.) 1t will bel to be lengtheued' understood in this connection thatl do not` said plow at yproper cnttingdepth substanwish toconnemyself toasprocket-chaincom tially as set forth. 1 t nection between the shafts 3 and -8, as it is 2. I n a devicefor laying submarine cables, obvious thatl I may use a shaft and beveled the combination of oneor more rotary-disk 5 gearsto accomplish the same purpose. l plows mounted on a commonshaft'anad'ust- Fromthe foregoing description, taken in able frame havingahinged connection. a l .connection with the accompanyng'drawngs, -boat at its upper end'and adapted t0 Gary '35v i `the'construction, operation, and advantagesvsaid shaft and disk plows at its lower end, a" of my invention will be readily apparent, it sprocket-wheelxed tosaid shaft, asprocket- `xe is thought, without 'requiring a more extendf chanconnecting saidsprocket-vheelwith a ed explanation. y "similar wheel xed to a driven shaft mount, f Various changes in' the form, proportion," `ed on said. boat, whereby motion :from said 4e and minor detalls of construction may be rleshaft willbe imparted to saidl rotary'plows,.a sorted to without departing from the 'prin-v condutadapted to cond-neta cable from saidil i 5 ciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of'y boat to a pointof-:discharge adjacent to said i -mynvention. "y v t Having thus described ny invention,` what r lower said digging apparat'ns, acasingor c'ovv,45 I claim, .and desire tofsecu-re by Letters Patering for said 'plows, and means forsupporti*"` v ent', is" l l v ing said: plows at the yproper cutting de'pth,'.A zo 1'. V*In a device for laying submarine cables substantially as and for thepnrp'ose set forth. a th'e' combination of a' rotary-diskploma 'frame In testimony whereoffli haveherennm set havinga hinged connection at itsupper end my hand in presence of tsj'zo..s;dbs''sriblrfn'g'wit-v 5o toA a boat and adapted to carry said rotary nesses. i i' I A u 5 condi-1ct a cable from said boat to -point'of 4 V lRQBERTS discharge adjacent to said plow, a' 'cranelof V"- l.lllitnessem -l i l 'l 1 derrick adapted-to raise and lowersaid hinged P. J. SCHENERMAN v,

frame and plow, land means for supporting# l z F. 'SIMsoN.v 

